Are you a true fan of anything? Ever written fanfic? Worn a costume of a favorite character? Waited in line for hours to meet a singer, writer, actor you love? Or have you ever wanted to but didn't because you were afraid of the looks you'd get? In time for our housewarming party, I turned …
Author: mapelba
I'm a writer, artist, teacher, mother, wife, daughter, friend, coffee addict... What else? A success, a failure, a mess, a fan, a hater of housework, a lover of dogs, a liberal, an obsessive, and a bunch of other things that probably would never occur to me. I reveal myself in more ways in my writings and art than in any list of adjectives. And whoever you are, I hope most of all that you are a reader.
The Scariest Part
So it begins. I'll edit my novel. My novel will go out into the world. I've worked many years for this. Today I told my dad that my book will be published. I never talk to him about my writing. Once, years ago, I told him I'd written a book. His only reaction was to …
Navigating New Seas
In case you have somehow escaped me telling you, I have found a publisher. This press is small and new and in the UK. Since it was a UK literary journal that published my first short story and the BBC is my favorite channel, a British publisher makes sense really. Don't you think? The name …
The Butterfly Effect and Dreams
At 17 I put away my dream to be an artist. Art turned from dream to hobby. Sometimes people mistook me for an artist--usually because I wore a scarf or long earrings or too many bracelets. I don't know. What do people mean when they say, "You look like an artist." I figured they meant, …
Keep your mouth shut.
Do you argue with people online who you've never met? If you do, are those arguments mud-fests with names flying? If not, why not? Most people I know who are on facebook have at least one I-shouldn't-have-made-that-comment experience. If not that, then a I-can't-believe-X-left that-comment experience. Haven't you? If you decide to pick a fight …
Writing for Art–It’s a Win, Win, Win
I've moved. I've organized (sort of). I've got art. Art needs a home. Over at my art blog, I've started a contest. You write something inspired by my art, and maybe you just win the piece that inspired you. Well? So, go to Words Are Art because, hey, they are.
What a tender world that would be.
In the BBC's Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes does have a heart to burn. Though you couldn't blame most people from thinking otherwise. But the episode A Scandal in Belgravia has a moment--a slight moment--of tenderness. Sherlock comes home to 221B Baker Street to find Mrs. Hudson held by hired thugs. It's obvious she's been dragged and …
Just Give Me My Poisoned Apple Already
I wouldn't literally eat a poisoned apple, but metaphorically I think I already have. The evil queen in disguise is my own psyche, and the apple is seeds of doubt fleshed out with insecurity, neurosis, and fear. Hard to believe anyone takes a bite of that. How long has it been since an agent asked …
Surfacing
Do you have the secret to organization and balance? I know about lists. I even make lists. Where do the lists go? I think they drown in the sea of nonsense that is my desk. Anyone can make a list. Look. I'll make one right now. (in insignificant order and incomplete) finish organizing desk do …
Belief
Have you ever seen something--a garden gate perhaps, a picture hanging on a cafe wall, an odd, unexpected object in an odd and expected place--that made you stop and look again. That stirred your heart, maybe your gut, a place deep within? I love connecting with a picture, a story, a random object. Imagine if …
Marta Bacon 